Rural-delivery mail-box.



No. 670,686. Patented Mar. 26, I90I. C. PFEIFFEB.

RURAL DELIVERY MAIL 80X.

(Application filed Feb. 4, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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"Patented Mar. 26; l90l.

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RURAL DELIVERY MAIL BOX.

(Applicatiop filed. Feb. 4, 1901.)

R IS F ER? CO, P

(No Modalf) m'ines s e8 flaw 5M4 UNrrrizn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES PFEIFFER, OF AKRON, OHIO.

RU RAL-DELIVERY MAIL-BOX.

SPEGIFIGA'ICION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,686, dated March 26, 1901.

Application filed February 4, 1901. serial No. 45,947. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PFEIFFna, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rural-Delivery Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has a general relation to improvements in mail-boxes for the reception of mail-:natter, and has especial relation to that class designed for the rural-delivery system.

One object of my invention is to produce a new and improved box that shall embody two separate compartments, one to receive mailmatter from the public to be taken up by the carrier and one in which the carrier will deposit mail-matter for persons in the vicinity of the box, to provide the former with a signal readily discernible by the carrier arranged to be displayed by opening the box to deposit mail-matter therein by the public,

and to provide the other with a different sig nal arranged to be displayed by opening of the box by the carrier to deposit mail for distribution, both signals arranged to remain displayed, the first until the carrier opens the box to remove the mail and to be rocked out of sight by him, the second to be displayed by the opening of the box by the carrier to deposit mail for distribution and to be rocked out of sight by opening the box to remove the mail; and a further object is to interpose a shield to prevent the abstraction of letters deposited by the carrier without opening the box.

To the aforesaid objects my invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction,

arrangement, and combination of parts here iuafter described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference-numeralsindicate like parts in the different views, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved mail-box; Figs. 2 and 3, sections of the same at the lines X X and Y Y of Fig. 1, respectively; Fig. 4, an elevation of the same looking from the right end of Fig. l and Fig. 5a section at the lines Z Z of Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the figures, 1 is a rectangular ing it.

metallic box divided centrally by a horizontal partition 2 and provided with a hinged cover 3, having a handle 4 for convenience of rais- In the front is a panel 5 for the name or number of the box, times of delivery, or other suitable information. In the front wall below the partition 2 is a long horizontal narrow doorway closed by an outward and 6c downwardly swinging door 6, having a central wing or projection 7 to constitute a bandle for facility in opening. At the right end, below the partition, is a doorway closed by an outward and downwardly-swinging door 8,

provided with ahasp 9 and lock 10 to secure it against being opened by an unauthorized person. Extending from the lower edge of the doorway in. front more than half across the box is a sloping shield 11.

People desiring to send mail raise the cover 3 and deposit the matter in the upper compartment, which may be locked therein, if de sired, although no lock is shown in the drawings. signal by the following mechanism: In the left end of the box is a pivot 12, extending into the interior, and on the outer end of this pivot is secured a staff 13, hearing at its free' The act of opening the cover raises a end any preferred symbol, as a metal plate,

to represent a flag, as shown, and this staff swings forward sufficiently to fall below the plane of the box top under a guard-strap 14:,

attached at each end to the box, and up until slightly past its pivot, so as to stand without 8 5 falling forward, the strap 14 serving to limit its motion in each direction. On the pivot 12 within the box is secured a crank-arm 15, connected at its free end by a bar 16 with the lower end of a lever 17, pivoted near its ceno ter to the box side and whose upper end is curved forward and beveled. Acurved book 18 is fastened to the inside of the cover and is bent toward the back of the box, terminating in a beveled face to slide on and past the 5 beveled end of the lever 17, and this hook is adjusted and arranged to engage the curved end of thelever 17 as the box-cover is raised and rock it backward, thus through the connecting-bar just described raising the staff 13,

which will remain in this position until rocked down by the collector, who is advised by this signal that mail-matteris in the box and rocks down the staff when he has collected it.

When the carrier has matter to be deposited in the box, he raises the door 6 and places the matter through the opening, which slides down the shield 11 and over its edge into the bottom of the box, the shield preventing it from being reached from the outside through the deposit-doorway. By the act of raising the door 6 the carrier gives a signal that matter has been deposited in the box by the following mechanism:

Through the right end of the box is a pivot 19, on the outer end of which is a staff 20, bearing at its end a symbol, which may be a trefoil, as shown, but preferably different from the symbol on the opposite end of the box, and on the inner end a bell-crank 21. On the back arm of this bell-crank is freely hung a rod or wire 22, hooked at the bottom and extending when at its lowest movement nearly to the box bottom. On the inside of the door 8 is a lug 23, that extends lengthwise of the box and is straight at the bottom and curved thence to the top. On the lower arm of the bell-crank 21 is a pin 24, that runs in a slot in a flat rod 25, the other end of which bar is pivoted in a wing 26 on the inside of the door 6. Hence when the door 6 is opened the operation will draw the rod 25, thus rocking the bell-crank 21 and pushing down the rod or wire 22, which slides down the lug 23 until it swings under its bottom, and is thus heldagainst return. This also swings the staff 20 upward and exhibits the symbol above the box, thus giving notice that matter has been deposited in .the box; The slot in the rod 25 is sufficiently long so that the closing of the door will not cause it to engage the pin 24, and the symbol remains raised until the door 8 is opened by some authorized person to remove the mail which act draws the wing 26 out of the 'hook on the wire 22, thus permitting the pivot 19 to turn, and the staff 20 will fall to its first position.

The partition 2 is preferably corrugated from front to back to form spaces to enable the collectors fingers more readily to reach under the pieces of mail-matter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. An improved mail-box consisting of a box divided byahorizontal partition, ahinged cover for the upper apartment, a hinged door for the lower compartment, a sloping shield extending below the partition from the front wall past the center of the box, a hinged door i i I amass between the shield and partition, a pivot through one end of the box above the partition bearing outside the box a staff having a symbol, and within the box a crank connected by a rod with a pivoted lever, and a curved hook to engage and rock said lever to cause the rod to rock said pivot and raise said staif, substantially as shown and described.

2. An improved mail-box consisting of a box divided by a horizontal partition, a hinged cover-for the upper apartment, a hinged door for the lower compartment having a lug on its inner face, a sloping shield extending below the partition from the front wali partially across the 'box, a hinged door between the shield and the partition, a pivot through one end of the box below the partition bearing outside the box a staff having a symbol, and within the box a bell-crank having a wire or rod hooked to engage said lug when said crank is rocked downward, and a pin, a bar having a slot to receive said pin and with its opposite end connected with the door be tween the shield and partition and arranged to rock said bell-crank when opened to cause said hooked rod to engage said lug and raise to display said symbol, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a mail-box, the combination with a box divided by a horizontal partition of a hinged cover for the upper apartment, a hinged door for the lower compartment bearing a lug on its inner face, a shield extending below the partition from the front Wall partially across said box, a hinged door between the shield and partition a pivot through one end of the box above the partition hearing outside the box a staff having a symbol, and within the box a crank connected by a rod with a pivoted lever, and a curved hook to engage and rock said lever to cause the rod to rock said pivot and raise said staff, a second pivot through the opposite end of the box below the partition bearing outside the box a staff having a symbol and within the box connecting mechanism arranged to be operated by the door between the partition and shield to cause said symbol' to be displayed, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES PFEIFFER.

In presence of' O. P. HUMPHREY, O. E. HUMPHREY. 

